


Othala (ᛟ)

by apollosukulele



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blitzstone, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Gen, M/M, Soulmate AU, the one where anything your draw on your skin shows up on your soulmate, there's a lot about Hearth's childhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-10-05 15:33:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10311386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apollosukulele/pseuds/apollosukulele
Summary: Hearthstone was so happy the first time he communicated with his soulmate. The five-year-old elf had been drawing on his arm, creating images of trees and birds in a bright green felt-tip pen. He hadn’t been expecting anything in return; he was simply doodling in a carefree fashion to pass the time he was forced to spend in solitude before he was allowed to join the rest of his family for the evening meal.Blitzstone Soulmate AU where anything you write or draw on your skin shows up on your soulmate.





	1. Chapter 1

Hearthstone was so happy the first time he communicated with his soulmate. The five-year-old elf had been drawing on his arm, creating images of trees and birds in a bright green felt-tip pen. He hadn’t been expecting anything in return; he was simply doodling in a carefree fashion to pass the time he was forced to spend in solitude before he was allowed to join the rest of his family for the evening meal. His parents had made sure that he was well aware of his imperfections, and although he knew that was the reason they didn’t want him around, he had yet to grasp the concept that how he was treated was unfair or that he should expect better. This abandonment was something he was used to and considered normal, and he ended up with lots of time to spare shut away in his windowless, barely lit room. 

Hearth was midway through drawing a pixie when it happened. He watched in fascination as a line appeared on his skin, as if an invisible person drew on him with a black marker pen. He watched it grow in awe, the picture expanding line by line until it was complete - a perfect image of a duck. Hearth loved it. 

He stood up immediately, buzzing with excitement. Luckily his parents hadn’t locked him in this time and he headed straight for Andiron’s room, knocking on the door before entering and pointed excitedly at his arm and signed  _ look. _ He and his younger brother watched in awe as more ducklings appeared after the first one until a whole row of them followed the first and largest duck. Wondering if there was someone responsible for the appearances of the drawings, Hearth grabbed his pen and added a bowtie to the chief duck to see what would happen. Apparently the mysterious person liked that a lot because immediately after, a large heart appeared above its head. Hearth grinned and coloured it in. He didn’t know who the person was, if they were even real, but he decided he liked them.

“Hearthstone.” His mother, Greta, addressed him slowly and condescendingly across the table and although Heath couldn’t hear the inflections in her voice, he could still pick up on the feeling of unworthiness. “Why have you drawn all over your arm?” He began signing his reply when his father grabbed him by the wrist. 

“I’ve told you before and I don’t want to have to tell you again: that nonsense with the hands is not a language.” Alderman handed him a chalk and a slate. “Answer your mother politely.” Hearth nodded and wrote his reply.  _ I drew the trees. The ducks appeared. I didn’t draw them. _

“It’s true! I saw-”

“Silence, Andiron!” Alderman commended. “Don’t defend your brother. Besides, he needs to learn to speak for himself.” He looked torn, as if he was not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed. Finally he continued. “Well. It seems, despite his many flaws and imperfections, Hearthstone has a soulmate. I have to admit, I’m surprised. I didn’t think anyone out there would want to care for someone as broken as him, but apparently somebody does. Though I’m sure that will last long after they find out about your-” He gestured to his ear in an unsubtle fashion. Hearthstone said nothing, trying to take everything in. He hadn’t understood all his father had just said, bar the general disdain that was characteristic to Alderman’s words, but he had been left with a lot of unanswered questions that he definitely wanted answers to. He considered this more over the rest of dinner and decided to ask Ulla in the morning. She would be able to tell him what it all meant. Soon, he and Andiron were sent up to their rooms and the long night awaited him. 

He turned off the main light and made himself comfy on his mattress on the floor. He’d heard things about other worlds; Nidavellir, where there was no sun at all and dwarves lived in huge caverns under the earth. Stranger still was the land of the humans where the sun disappeared every night before reappearing again in the morning. It made him scared to think of a place with no light. Of course, his room was dark, but that was because there were no windows. But no sun? That was an entirely different matter. How did they survive? He thought about strange people in strange lands as he drifted off to sleep. 

\----

_ What's a S-O-U-L-M-A-T-E? _ Hearth asked Ulla as she unpacked her things, her cow's tail visible through the hole in her dress. Alderman had been reluctant to hire a tutor for Hearthstone, thinking there was no hope for him considering his condition. Greta, however, talked him into it saying it was at least worth a try. Besides, Andiron would need to be educated too so they might as well find somebody who would teach them both. 

This was more difficult than it seemed. Alderman might have been a particularly nasty man, but the other elves weren't much better. Even the teachers that said they didn't object to Hearthstone’s so-called imperfections refused to help because they didn't know how to begin teaching him. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of Ulla, who accepted the offer to teach the two brothers. She was a hulder who had grown up enslaved by a wealthy family, but she had managed to save up enough money to buy a house and her freedom and escape the system. Alderman had tried to force her to move in, but she held her ground; there was no way she was going back to her old life. She offered to stay there during the week and, faced with no other option, Alderman had accepted. 

Ulla put down the book she was holding. “A soulmate _ ,”  _ she signed as she spoke, spelling out the word ‘soulmate’ before showing Hearth the sign for it, “is someone you have a special bond with. There will be lots of people who care for you in your life, but the connection you have with your soulmate is particularly strong. One of the wonderful things about having a soulmate is that anything you write on your skin will appear on your soulmate in the same place, and anything they write will appear on you. Some people say it was the Gods who gave each set of soulmates the power to communicate with each other, but some people think soulmates existed long before the Gods themselves.” Hearth was in awe and Andiron looked equally captivated. He couldn't quite believe there was a person out there for him, someone who cared enough to send him little pictures in his arm. 

_ So the person who drew the ducks is my soulmate?  _ He had deliberately not washed his arm so he could admire the pictures, and he showed them to his tutor. She took a closer look. 

_ Yes,  they are. Was yesterday the first time it happened?  _

_ Yes.  _

“You should try talking to them. Introduce yourself if you like.”

“Do I have a soulmate?” Andiron asked. 

“You might do. The only way you can find out is if you try and contact them.”

“I hope I do. I want to draw them pictures and make them happy.” Ulla smiled. 

“I'm sure you'll make them very happy.”

They began the lesson by learning more ASL - Alf Sign Language. Ulla had made sure to teach both boys; Hearth, so that he had a way to communicate other than writing, and Andiron, so that he had someone to talk to. She had originally tried to teach Alderman and Greta as well, however she quickly realised after a few attempts that that was not going to work out and if she carried on trying would probably leave Hearth without a tutor. She didn't like how the elves were (honestly, she wanted to take those pieces of chalk and stick them in some very unpleasant places) but she had learnt the best way to get what you want was to quietly work around the system. 

They did have one thing on their side which was that education was a sign of class, wealth and perfection. Even Alderman, who seemed to find immense pleasure in playing with power, cared a lot about his reputation and did not want to be seen as unclassy. Despite the fact that making Hearthstone feel unworthy seemed to be high up his list at all times, he did see value in him learning to communicate, because although Hearth was already imperfect by his standards, it was less embarrassing to have a child that could communicate badly rather than not at all. Ulla hoped that one day Hearthstone and Andiron would be able to find better lives for themselves, just like she had managed to do, but for the moment she would have to help them get by with what they had. 

After lunch, when he had some time to himself, Hearthstone sat on his bed with a pen in his hand, deep in thought. He wanted to talk to his soulmate, but he didn't know what to say. 

_ Hi,  _ he wrote eventually, nervously chewing his pen until slowly, someone replied. 

_ Hi.  _

Hearth grinned excitedly. Their writing was by no means as neat as his own; after all, he had had to learn to write sooner than most children as it was essential to his communication with the world. He wrote out in perfect, careful letters:

_ Are you my soulmate?  _

There was an even longer wait this time and Hearth held his breath until the answer finally came:

_ Yes.  _

He replied almost immediately. 

_ My name is Hearthstone.  _ And then after:  _ What is your name?  _

Hearthstone watched in fascination as the letters formed one by one on his arm into the name he would come to know so well. 

_ Blitzen.  _

Hearth stared at the word on his skin. Blitzen. This was his soulmate! He immediately jumped up and made his way to Andiron’s room, so excited about the new development and he wanted to share his happiness with somebody. Knocking on the door, he pushed it open and froze in place.

His brother was crying and, by the looks of it, had been crying for some time. Andiron looked up at Hearth on hearing him enter, tears streaming down his face and his eyes a bloodshot green. Hearth felt a wave of guilt wash over him.  _ If I'd been able to hear, I would have known there was a problem and come sooner,  _ he thought to himself. Eventually he came round to his senses and sat down in front of his brother. 

_ What's wrong?  _ He signed. It took a while for Andiron to calm down enough to reply but when he did, his hands shaking, Hearth was at a loss at how to respond. 

_ I don't have a soulmate.  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback on chapter 1!! <3 <3 (yes, I read all your tags on tumblr nothing escapes me ;) )  
> Here's chapter 2; enjoy the happiness whilst it lasts...

“There are lots of reasons why you might not get a reply straight away. It doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have a soulmate. Maybe they haven't been born yet. Or maybe they haven't learnt how to write, or they speak another language. Or maybe,” Ulla put her hands on Andiron’s shoulders, “they didn't have a pen nearby.” Andiron had mostly stopped crying by this point and blew his nose. 

“Maybe I do have a soulmate. I hope I do.”

_ I hope you have a soulmate, _ Hearth signed.

The only time the brothers really spent any time with their parents was at meal times. Usually Alderman and Greta were far too concerned with their own business to give any attention to their children, but if they were going to interact with either one of them it would always be Andiron. If they wanted to play outside together, Alderman would ask him where they were going and never Hearthstone. If Greta wanted to know what they'd been learning, she would always ask Andiron rather than him. 

Hearth was used to it; after all, he had never known anything else. And to him, it made sense. It was much easier for them to speak to his brother, because he could reply quickly and with ease. If they wanted to communicate with Hearth, it involved getting something to write on and waiting for him to write his reply. There was the added complication that he couldn't write and lipread at the same time and both parents had a habit of carrying on speaking when he wasn't watching, subsequently getting cross when he didn't answer them. That was the other thing. If there was ever a problem, it was always Hearth who got the blame. If there was even the slightest chance that he might have done something they didn’t like, their general rule of not bothering to talk to him would be disregarded in favour of harsh, carefully chosen words. This was more of his father’s speciality than his mother’s, but he knew firsthand they were both capable of it.

It was at another family meal - breakfast, this time - when the topic of soulmates came up for the second time. A couple of hulder served them toast without a word before being sent away again. The only time Hearth had ever seen them around was in situations like this when they would conveniently appear at his parent’s request and he wondered where they were or what they did when they weren’t around. Did they just appear out of nowhere to serve toast? Not having any other experience of life to compare it to, he assumed this was a normal occurrence. 

“Andiron, have you found your soulmate?” It was, again, Greta who had spotted the writing on Andiron’s wrist and she took a closer look at the words, which read  _ Good morning,  _ followed by a smiley face.

“I haven't had a reply yet, but I'm going to write them a message every day. They might not have been born yet, and I want to make them happy from the moment they’re alive.” Greta seemed to find Andiron’s words sweet, but couldn't help but look somewhat disheartened by the lack of a detectable soulmate. 

“That's a nice thing to do.” She then shot a look at Hearthstone, as if it was somehow his fault that Andiron hadn't had a reply. They ate the rest of their breakfast without conversation. 

This was one of the more pleasant meals but still, Hearth couldn’t help but wish he was outside or back in his room taking to Blitz. He and his soulmate had formed a much stronger connection over the last few months and Hearth never failed to enjoy the company and interest he brought to his life. So far he had learnt that his soulmate was very fond of ducks, which didn't surprise him in the least, and Blitz would often draw clothes of all different kinds up and down his arm. 

_ Do you have a mother?  _ Hearth asked out of the blue. He had noticed that Blitz often spoke of his father but had never once mentioned his mother. 

_ I do, but I don't see her very much.  _ Blitz’s handwriting had improved a lot over the time they had spent writing to each other, and by this point it was nearly as clear as Hearth's. 

_ I don't see my parents very much. Only for eating. I'm mostly on my own or with my brother or having lessons.  _

_ You're so lucky to have a brother to play with. I wish I did. _

They wrote to each other as often as they could, filling the endless hours of boredom they had endured up until this point. Of course, Ulla had provided Hearth and Andiron with books and pens and activities and although they were interesting, none compared to the joy Hearth got from such a free, fluid conversation. With Blitz, there weren't any setbacks. With Blitz, he could say or draw whatever he wanted. With Blitz, there was no expectation to be perfect. Yet there was always the thought eating away at the back of his mind that he hadn't told Blitz about his deafness. He wondered if he should and how he should say it. It hadn't come up in conversation; there was no need for it to have done when they were both communicating through writing. He thought about simply writing ‘ _I am deaf’_ with no context, but judging how other people had reacted to finding out about his imperfection, he'd been reluctant to try it with Blitzen. His father's words still rang in his head from the day he'd discovered he had a soulmate; how he'd said they wouldn't want him if they knew. Maybe it was selfish of Hearth to keep the information to himself, but this was the one place he wasn't judged, the only place he could escape from the reality of his condition and be on equal footing with the rest of the world. And that's how he wanted it to stay, at least for a while. 

During these months of talking, Hearth began to notice things. They were only small things, but he was fascinated by them nonetheless. He noticed the writing on his mother's wrist, and how the words matched those on his father’s. He noticed, when he shouldn't have been watching, how his parents’ fancy dinner guests had the occasional message or heart somewhere on their body. And he noticed how Ulla would occasionally glance down at her arm and smile. One day, Hearth dared to ask Ulla about her soulmate. 

“We haven't had the chance to meet yet,” she replied, speaking and signing at the and time. “We live far away from each other and neither of us have had the time to travel. Also…” she paused momentarily, trying to find the right words. “There are certain people in the world who have been brought up to think that some soulmate connections are bad. That you shouldn't be allowed to be with your soulmate purely because of your appearance or gender or the amount of money you have. Those people are wrong, but unfortunately there are a lot of them and can sometimes be hard to avoid. My soulmate and I are currently trying to avoid those people, until it is safe for us to be together.” She said no more on the subject, but her words stayed in Hearth's mind for days after. 

The lesson moved on to other things; the world tree where all the nine worlds were connected and how you might get from one to another. They were told the places that were safe for elves - Alfheim, Vanaheim, if you were lucky enough to be invited there, and Midgard, if you were suitably prepared for the darkness - and the places you shouldn't go, which was was basically everywhere else. They were warned particularly about Muspelheim and Niflheim, the lands of fire and ice, and Nidavellir, where there was no sun. These three were the most dangerous because they would almost guarantee death and were relatively easy to stumble upon. A close fourth was Jotunheim, as although you wouldn't die immediately from the climate you would probably die soon after at the hands of a giant. It turned out elves didn't travel between words a lot and, given the circumstances, it was easy to see why. Apparently hardly anyone had even visited Midgard in the last thousand years, and part of him wondered why Ulla was telling them all these things if they would never need to use them. He wasn't complaining, however. Six-year-old Hearth found it fascinating. 

Soon the lesson was over and Hearth and Andiron went to play outside as they often did during their afternoon breaks. The grounds of the family mansion were vast, and the many gardens meant that the boys had lots of places to explore. A huge wall lined the edge of the property; Hearthstone had only been on the other side of it a few times, accompanying his parents to formal events but they had soon stopped taking him because he was an embarrassment to their family. They still took Andiron occasionally, but mostly they seemed to prefer going alone or, even better, hosting their own parties. Hearth wasn't invited to those either, but he would often steal glances through cracked doors, silently observing the goings on. This was usually a lot of people in fancy clothes drinking from silver goblets and listening attentively as Alderman showed off the latest object in his collection. 

On this particular day the boys had chosen to play at the edge of the huge stretch of forest at the far end of the land. It seemed to go on for miles and had always intrigued them; the only patch of wilderness in an otherwise orderly and regimented place. 

_ What do you think is in there?  _ Andiron pointed to the trees. 

_ Could be anything.  _

_ We should explore!  _

Hearth stared into the wood. It looked dark and foreboding but intriguing nonetheless. There was something magical about the place that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

_ I'm not sure we're allowed. Is it safe?  _

_ But it looks fun; we should go on an adventure! We can be like those explorers travelling the nine worlds. Maybe we'll meet a human! Or a giant!  _

Curiosity got the better of them both, and the boys agreed to go in just a little way. However, they ended up walking for much longer than they had originally planned - it turned out hunting for giants could be very exciting. They stumbled through the overgrown bushes and climbed over the huge roots protruding from the earth until eventually the trees thinned. They stopped in their tracks. 

_ What's that?  _ Hearth signed, pointing to a circular structure in the centre of the clearing. They made their way over to investigate and were fascinated by what they found. 

_ It's a wishing well!  _ Andiron signed excitedly.  _ I'm going to make a wish!  _ He closed his eyes. “I wish for-” Hearth grabbed his hand to get his attention. 

_ You can't tell me what you wish for. Otherwise it won't come true.  _

Andiron considered this for a moment.  _ OK.  _ He nodded and shut his eyes again, his face twisted in concentration. Hearth had no way of knowing, but there were no birds singing in the clearing and the silence was eerily quiet. 

_ I've made my wish!  _ Andiron declared.

_ I hope it comes true.  _

_ You should make a wish too.  _

Hearth was taken aback. He had not considered making a wish himself and wasn't sure if it would work. Nevertheless, he considered all the things in his life. He considered the world around him; the wood and the gardens and the rest of Alfheim that lay beyond the wall. He considered his family; Andiron and his parents and of course Ulla and all the things she had taught them. He considered his condition and what it would be like not only to hear, but to be accepted. And finally he considered Blitz; their connection and friendship and what it brought to his life. 

_ OK, I will.  _ Hearthstone signed with determination.

Then he closed his eyes and made his wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think they wished for? 
> 
> Come talk blitzstone with me on tumblr @[apollosukulele](https://www.apollosukulele.tumblr.com) I'm always ready to fangirl
> 
> Inge will make an appearance in the next chapter so you have that to look forward to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its getting darker now... 
> 
> Content warning:
> 
> (minor spoiler ahead)
> 
> I'm not sure if this needs a content warning or not but, as we all know, Alderman is not a very nice man and there is a part where he uses the hulder's weakness to iron against a hulder and her young child, which leaves scars.

Hearth and Andiron frequently returned to the well. The sense of adventure and freedom made it Andiron’s favourite spot to play, and it became their secret base for going on fantasy missions into the nine worlds. They often pretended the well was the world tree and if you fell into it you'd fall into the Ginnungagap. Sometimes they would make wishes, but Andiron claimed that if you made too many then the God of wishes would get angry. Hearthstone had no idea who the God of wishes even was, but he went along with it anyway. 

On this particular day, Andiron was an adventurer who had ventured into Midgard and Hearth was a human he had met there. He had dressed up in tights and a tunic (that was what humans wore, right?) and had a makeshift bow slung over his shoulder. Even though the longbow was a typically elven weapon, he had heard that there were also human archers so he had decided to stick with his weapon of choice.

If there was a subject Hearth loved more than anything else, it was history. It seemed to him that everything was better hundreds of years ago; the clothes were cooler, the people were more friendly and it seemed that everyone went on exciting adventures. There was also the magic. Long ago, it was said that lots of elves practiced magic; Frey had granted them the ability to learn when he created them. However, it seemed not many elves, if any, knew anything about it. He wondered why that was, why such a powerful art was no longer a part of society. If he had the ability to use magic, he would want to use it all the time. 

The human and elf adventurers had somehow found themselves in Nidavellir. 

_How will you survive without sun?_

_It's okay. I have my sun hat; when it's dark it shines light, but only on me so it doesn't turn all the svartalfs to stone._ Andiron’s smile alone was so full of sunshine that it probably could have kept a whole family of elves alive in Nidavellir for a week. 

 _Fart-alf._ Hearth signed in response, grinning and Andiron laughed. Not for the first time, Hearth wondered what it would be like to hear Andiron’s laugh; he was sure it would be full of happiness. 

They ventured further into the wood than normal, engrossed in their game of exploration. They had reached Jotunheim now, having visited Freya in her palace in Vanaheim. 

“You have to look out for booby-traps,” Andiron explained. “Giants want to capture us for their dinner so you have to be careful.”

They carefully checked the bushes and trees, not really sure what they were looking for but having fun anyway. That was until Hearth spotted something. He put his hand on Andiron’s shoulder abruptly to stop him walking any further. 

 _Stay still,_ he signed when he had his brother’s full attention. _You see that?_ He pointed to something on the ground about ten feet away from them. _I think it's a net._

The brothers approached with caution, taking extra care not to step on any hidden traps on their way. It was, indeed, a net, hidden by leaves and foliage and bracken. They stopped about a foot in front of it, not entirely sure what to do. The thing is, they hadn't actually expected to find any booby-traps. Up until now, all the adventure had been in their imagination and it was as if then had suddenly been brought back to reality like a rock sinking to the bottom of a lake. They stared at each other in shock. 

Hearth was the first one to move. He took Andiron’s arm and they slowly backed away before he signed _Stay back._ He then took a large arrow from his quiver and shot it into the net. The net flew up into the air with a piercingly loud snap, Andiron recoiling from the sound as did most of the wildlife, birds fluttering frantically in all directions. They didn't need to be warned twice; they fled. 

They didn't stop running until they reached the well, all out of breath and covered in scratches. Andiron had a particularly bad gash on his leg, which Hearth dabbed with a clean patch of shirt. He didn't really know what he was doing, but he didn't like seeing his brother in pain. 

 _Do you think there really were giants trying to eat us?_ He asked, looking into Hearth's eyes for reassurance. 

 _I don't know,_ Hearth signed honestly. But we're safe now. Let's go back to the house.

They headed back, Andiron holding onto Hearthstone for support. As they made their way through one the gardens, Hearth spotted their father, Mr. Alderman, and two of his friends (could you call them friends?) heading in the direction they had just come from. As they drew nearer, both Hearth and Andiron decided it would be better to go a slightly different route and walk on the other side of the hedge from them. Neither of them wanted to find themselves on the wrong side of their father, and being in his way, covered in scratches was not something that would go down well. They paused as the three towering elves strode past, unaware of the children watching them. A glint of metal chain protruded from the top of Alderman’s leather satchel but Hearth thought nothing of it. Once the coast was clear they continued into the house. 

“You should take more care of yourselves,” Ulla told them both as she dressed their wounds. She put some salve on Andiron’s leg and he winced. “The woods are a dangerous place and you shouldn't have been exploring in there, especially so far in. You never know what you might come across and you're lucky you're still here.”

Hearth nodded solemnly. Even Andiron, who was usually cheerful as anything, looked put out. Ulla hugged them both. “You'll be alright soon enough.” 

They were both too shaken to say anything about the net or what had happened and Ulla didn't press for answers. After a few hours it was time for her to leave for the weekend and, after getting into some clean clothes, the two boys agreed that from then on they wouldn't venture any further than the well. 

Mr. Alderman was in a foul mood at dinner. The friends they had seen him with earlier in the garden must have gone home or at least were not present anymore, leaving just the four of them to have a less than pleasant meal. Alderman spent the whole time gesticulating angrily in a way that just happened to carelessly knock his goblet off the table every time. Greta looked increasingly uncomfortable throughout the whole ordeal and, after the third spillage, she finally voiced her thoughts. 

“What's gotten into you today?!” She exclaimed. Usually, Alderman’s distaste for something came with a cold, restrained demeanour, cutting words and a focused, directed energy that left you feeling bare and exposed. Tonight, however, his energy was unrefined and chaotic, as if his inner rage was seeping out of him. 

“Hilde!” He called, ignoring his wife's question. The hulder emerged from the shadows again to clean up yet another spill. So he does know their names, Hearth mused. He had barely ever heard his father address any of the hulder by their name; he tended to just call out whatever it was he wanted and someone - it didn't matter who - would provide it for him. It was then that Hearth had one of those moments when you realise something that should have been obvious from the start, but he had failed to see it up until now. The only people his parents regularly addressed with names were each other, Andiron and the people they were trying to impress. Neither his mother or father ever cared to address him by name, not unless they had something bad to say or some point they wanted to hammer in. It was exactly the same way Hilde and the other hulder had been treated; not worthy of acknowledgement until they wanted to remind you of your flaw, mistake or mere existence and then they had no problem using your name as a weapon to drive in the pain. And the thing that separated the two categories was simple: perfection. Hearth flinched at his revelation and felt slightly nauseous as he watched Hilde mop up the golden liquid. After she had left, Alderman turned to Greta to answer her question.

 _I can't see_ , Hearth signed as subtly as he could to Andiron. 

_He said… stupid birds? Animals? I don't really understand what he's saying._

_Ok._

“Stop that! Both of you!” Alderman turned to face his children again. “Andiron; I've told you before. Perfection isn't just what you're born with, it's your actions and who you associate with. And if you want to retain your image of perfection, you can't keep on doing that hand waving nonsense with your brother! You're better than that.”

Andiron gulped, unsure of what to do now that everyone had turned to him. He glanced apologetically at Hearthstone before turning to Alderman. 

“Yes, Father.”

“What must we always aim for?”

“Perfection.”

“And what mustn't you do?”

“Talk to Hearthstone in sign language.” Alderman looked satisfied with this answer and leant back in his chair, enjoying the smug feeling so much that he forgot to complain about the fact that, in his opinion, signing wasn't a language. Greta also looked pleased with Andiron’s response, although she may have just been relieved that her husband was no longer knocking things off the table. 

After the meal, the brothers were alone together, sitting on Hearth's bed when Andiron hugged him. He pulled away and signed _I don't want to stop talking to you,_ slightly teary-eyed. 

 _I'm sorry I'm not perfect. I don't want to get you into trouble. I understand if you don't want to talk to me; you-_ he paused, not sure how to word it. _You have the chance to be perfect, and I don't want to get in your way._

 _But then I'd have no one to play with. I'd have to go on adventures all by myself and it would be lonely. We can still talk to each other, right? When mother and father aren't around?_ Hearth gave Andiron a faint smile.

_I hope so._

_Good night, H-E-A-R-T-H._

_Good night, A-N-D-I-R-O-N._

Andiron left Hearthstone’s windowless room to go bed and Hearth lay there, staring at the ceiling. He loved Andiron very much but he couldn't help wondering how long it would be before his little brother followed in his father's footsteps and ignored him too. In a moment of desperation he reached for his ballpoint pen and wrote on his arm. 

 _How can I become perfect?_ He wasn't really expecting an answer; he was mostly venting his frustration to the universe. After all, he knew his condition was incurable - he had been told that countless times. Even so, he watched as new words formed in response. Hearth smiled. It seemed no matter what was happening, Blitz always had time to reply to Hearth’s messages. 

_Nobody is perfect._

_My brother is. And my parents._

_I don't think your parents are perfect._ Hearth stared at those words a little too long. Blitz continued. _They don't spend much time with you, and they lock you in your room._

 _But that's because I'm not perfect! If they are seen with me, then they'll become imperfect too!_ It was Blitz’s turn to take a long time to reply. 

_You're silly._

_They told Andiron not to talk to me._

_That's double silly._ Hearth couldn't help but grin slightly.

 _Maybe._ He still wasn't convinced, but it was nice to hear someone else say that anyway. 

_I'm the one who's not perfect. I want to design clothes but everyone thinks that's stupid and says I should make better things than that. My father has tried to teach me but I'm not very good._

_Clothes are important. Otherwise we would all be naked._

_True. But Junior is the worst person ever._

_Who is Junior?_

_An old dwarf who hates our family._

_If he is a dwarf, can't you just put him in the sun and turn him to stone?_

_I wish._ Hearth thought about this. He supposed that however mean someone might be, you couldn't just go and turn them to stone. Was there a way to undo that or did they stay as a statue for ever? He honestly had no idea and decided it probably wasn't worth finding out. He decided to change the subject. 

_Andiron and I went adventuring again today. This time I was a human and he was an elf and we went to Nidavellir and Jotunheim. Andiron had a sun hat that shone light on him so that he didn't die from darkness._

_Maybe more elves would visit Nidavellir if they had sun hats._

_That would be cool. But scary to have no sun._

_Which would be worse - an elf without sun or a dwarf with sun?_

_Both sound bad. But elves don't turn to stone, so maybe dwarves?_

_True. I hope I never turn to stone._

_Me too._

They went to sleep soon after the conversation, though Hearth spent a long time wondering what a grumpy dwarf was doing in Alfheim. He came to the conclusion that he must spend all day inside or had drug himself a hole underground. Somehow it never occurred to him that Junior - and therefore Blitz - might not even be in Alfheim at all. 

\----

Hearth was woken up by somebody shaking him awake. He opened his sleepy eyes and found himself looking into Andiron’s worried face. 

 _What's going on?_ He managed to sign, still not fully conscious. 

_I heard the big sound from the net, and there's crying and shouting and I'm scared._

Hearth sat up slowly and made room for Andiron to sit on the bed next to him. They stayed like that for a while, Hearth with his arm around his younger brother. He could see from Andiron’s face that the distressing sounds were still going on, and he wasn't sure whether his deafness was a blessing or a curse. It meant that he didn't have to hear the noises but, at the same time, it meant that something awful could happen and he would have no idea. The thought scared him. 

Andiron suddenly stiffened and Hearth removed his arm to sign something but Andiron beat him to it. 

 _They're in the house now. I heard the door._ Now Hearth was definitely worried. Suddenly his lack of hearing felt much more like a disability; the intruders could be anywhere, even outside his room, and he wouldn't know. Of course, Andiron was able to silently update him from time to time being reliant on somebody else's senses wasn't the most comforting thing. 

 _Shall we go and investigate?_ He felt bad as soon as he said it, making Andiron walk towards the very thing he was afraid of, but there was logic behind his thinking. _That way we can see what's happening and fetch our parents if we need to._ On top of this, Hearth wanted to be able to see, to make sense of the situation in the only way that he could, but he also couldn't leave Andiron on his own to be scared. It was better that they both went together. 

 _OK,_ Andiron signed, and they silently - at least, Hearth hoped they were being silent - made their way downstairs. They followed the sounds to the living room where their father kept his display cases of strange, mysterious artifacts. The door was open a crack, enough for the two of them to peer in without being immediately noticeable. What they saw made their stomachs turn. 

There were five figures in the living room. Two hulder, who looked like they could have been mother and daughter, stood close together in the centre of the room facing the door the two brothers were hiding behind. They were both shaking and the girl - she can't have been more than two or three - was in tears. Her wrists were bound together with a pair of iron shackles, which she held out in front of her as if to keep them as far away from the rest of her body as possible. Her mother was no longer in chains, but her wrists were green and scarred as if they had been severely burnt. 

The three other figures in the room were the most scary part of all. They stood with their backs to the door, looming over the helpless captives, but these were not strangers. The silhouettes were unmistakably those of Mr. Alderman and his two friends. 

Alderman bent down in front of the girl, who recoiled at his intrusion of her space, and at first he looked like he was going unfasten her bonds. Instead, he changed his mind and handed the large key to the mother hulder. 

 _What's he saying?_ Hearth asked barely able to take his eyes away from the horror scene playing out before them. Andiron looked as if he didn't want to answer. 

 _He says, ‘If you really care about your daughter, you'll set her free.’_ The hulder winced as she reluctantly took the key from Alderman. She unlocked the shackles on the child's wrists to reveal matching burn marks, dropped the key immediately after to hug her daughter, kissing her on the forehead. 

 _The other man,_ Andiron tentatively signed, pointing to the one farthest away from them, _is saying something about the afternoon disaster and then how he was lucky to get two in the same net._ At the mention of the net, the two boys suddenly noticed the familiar shape lying in the corner of the room and Hearth gasped, taking a step back. Andiron was frozen in place. For it was the very same net that they had encountered in the woods, and suddenly the idea of giants didn't sound like such a bad thing. 

Alderman turned towards their door, narrowed his eyes but made no move. The brothers held their breath. Eventually, the party of five made their way through a door on the other side of the room and they let out the air they had bottled up inside them, allowing themselves to breath normally again. They made their way upstairs, shaken by what they had just witnessed. 

Andiron slept in Hearth's bed that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer to update than before, but it's a longer chapter so I hope that makes up for it! Also, I just had to reformat all the italics which was a pain in the butt but it's done now woooo but if I missed any then that's why 
> 
> Also, shout out to @girl-of-ink @dragon-lover2001 @elevencrazystars and @einothegod on tumblr for name suggestions and being helpful :) :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's actually decided to start writing again since Ship of the Dead came out :O Sorry for the, uh... 6+ month delay. Yeah. I've had half of this sitting in the cloud for most of that time and just... never finished it idk. Anyways, enjoy!

The weekend was strangely calm considering the events the day before. Hearth and Andiron woke up still shaken by what they had witnessed. They didn't talk about it but they stuck much closer together than they normally would and both had a guarded aura, closely watching every movement in the world around them. They certainly hadn't mentioned it to their parents.

By the time Sunday came around, Hearth was aimlessly wandering about the many corridors by himself, reading the labels on the display cases that lined every hallway. They mostly contained objects from his father's collection but occasionally he'd come across one with his mother's name on it. Greta was less of a collector than her husband but she still kept her own selection of riches. She may have had fewer items, but she was pickier and the ones that she did own were the classiest of them all. Where Alderman valued quantity, she valued quality.

Hearth paused in front of a row of objects marked with Andiron’s name. His parents organised formal birthday events for themselves and Andiron where guests were expected to bring gifts for the person in question. Andiron never actually received his gifts, however, as they were all given directly to Alderman for custody. The whole thing seemed rather pointless to Hearth. Even if their father did hand them over to Andiron when he was older they would just sit behind glass forever in the same, unmoving place. But despite the fact that Hearth had no interest in owning anything of the sort, he still felt a little empty looking at all the things in front of him because it represented a world he wasn't allowed to be a part of. A world in which he wasn't ever going to feel welcome.

He was distracted from his thoughts by somebody tapping him on the arm. He blinked, a little startled and looked down expecting to see Andiron but instead found himself looking into the inquisitive eyes of a tiny girl. It was the young hulder from the other night and Hearth shuddered at the memory, still fresh in his mind. The girl was staring up at him in confusion and he realised she must have been trying to get his attention for some time.

“What are you doing?” She repeated her question. Hearth blinked. He didn't immediately know how to answer. He barely ever had the chance to communicate with anyone outside of the household, let alone any other children and certainly not anyone who wanted to communicate with him. Word of his condition seemed to spread before him and on the few occasions he had seen other Elven children they had avoided him like the plague. _‘They don't want to ruin their reputation,’_ his mother had explained. Hearth hadn't really understood her words at the time, but it was hard to miss the general feeling of unworthiness that surrounded them.

Hearth, not really knowing how to communicate with the girl, shrugged and gestured vaguely to the many objects lining the corridor. The tiny girl looked at him curiously but seemed to get the general idea. She seemed remarkably unphased by Hearth's lack of speaking which surprised him greatly and instead she curiously peered into one of the glass containers. This one was a dull, grey rock labelled ‘Specimen 2054: Whetstone of Bolverk’. Hearth found himself staring at the girl’s wrists, which were bandaged up. He felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for her. Although Alderman had never physically abused Hearth, he knew first hand just how hurtful his father could be.

Hearth saw the corners of her mouth move, forming more words but he couldn't make out what she was saying. When he didn't answer, she turned to him in more confusion.

“Inge!” The girl turned around suddenly in response to what Hearth assumed was some kind of noise, and soon another hulder - her mother - appeared from around the corner.

“Inge, you cannot go running off like that! You don't know what might happen!” She then spotted Hearth who stood a little way away and froze. He suddenly felt bad; she probably thought he would treat her like his father had and, for the first time, he felt embarrassed and ashamed to be related to him.

 _I’m not going to hurt you,_ he signed, sure his words weren’t going to mean anything to them but he felt better for saying it. He didn't bother carrying around that ghastly board he was expected to use when he had no intention of speaking to the people who insisted he used it. 

The girl’s mother looked at him pleadingly, yet inquisitively, and spoke. “Please don’t tell your father.”

 _I won’t,_ he signed, trying to convey his intention through his eyes. The mother hulder smiled gently at him before putting her arm around her daughter as they made their way back down the corridor.

\---

Ulla wasn’t alone when she came to teach the brothers the next morning.

 _This is I-N-G-E,_ she introduced the hulder girl to them. _She’s come to learn with us._ Inge sat down beside Hearth, smiling up in awe at him.

 _My name is H-E-A-R-T-H,_ he said as Ulla translated. _I’m happy to meet you._

They spent their first morning together teaching Inge sign language. She picked it up fast, and took great pride in speaking to Hearth in his own language, practicing the same few phrases over and over until they were all laughing.

As soon as the lesson was over Hearth couldn’t wait to tell his soulmate and grabbed the nearest pen to him. _I made a new friend today,_ he scrawled on his arm. _Her name is Inge and she’s joining lessons with me and Andiron._ He waited eagerly for a response, but as none came after a minute or so he continued writing. _We taught her-_ Hearth paused mid-sentence. He was going to say ‘we taught her how to sign’ but remembered that Blitz didn’t know about his problem. He considered again whether he should tell him. He felt he was being dishonest by not, but the feeling of being normal and equal and the risk of losing his friend… _what we’d learnt before she joined us,_ he finished _._ He cursed his selfishness, but he didn’t feel that now would be a good time to break the news. One day he’d work up the courage to do it.

 _That’s great._ Blitz took a while to respond but Hearth’s face lit up all the same. This was soon followed by a drawing of a duck and then a speech bubble encompassing the words. Ever since the first day, when Hearth received that first drawing, ducks had become their own special way of communicating. It let the other one know they were there and thinking about them. Sometimes they would try and outdo each other, who could draw the most, biggest or best quality ducks. Sometimes they would use them to convey emotions. Sometimes they would tell stories through pictures where their ducks would go on many adventures through the nine worlds.

Unfortunately this particular conversation was cut short as Andiron came into the room and signed one word. _Argument._ One thing Hearth was glad of was that he never had to listen to his parents argue. Andiron, on the other hand, had no such luxury and sought Hearth’s comfort at these times. He joined Hearth on his bed, and begun summarising the shouting, though this time it wasn’t between their parents.

\---

Downstairs, Alderman was furious. “How DARE you go behind my back and take my servant away from me!” He bellowed across the room.

“She is only young. Dalla was finding it difficult to carry out your orders _and_ look after her child. I stepped in to help. This way she can give you her full attention.”

“You’re here to teach Andiron, not _hulder!”_ You could hear the disgust in his voice as he spoke and Ulla flinched.

“I can assure you, Hearth and Andiron’s learning is not being jeopardised. Inge may be much younger, but she is coping fine.”

“I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!” Alderman threw a plate on the floor to emphasise his point. Upstairs, Andiron huddled closer to Hearth at the sound, who put an arm around his younger brother.

It was then that the doors of the dining room were flung open and Greta emerged on the scene.

“Alderman!” She scolded. “This is all getting rather unnecessary! Do you have any idea how hard it is to work when you’re creating such a horrible display in here?!” Greta was the only person who had the power to make Alderman speechless, a power she was utilising at this very moment. “I know you don’t like the situation, but what use is a three year old hulder to us? But an older hulder who can read and write… that sounds a lot more useful to me. I could do with someone to manage my emails.”

“Why are you siding with _her?”_

“I’m siding with myself, and partially you. But I think you need to consider things more. Like me, before you smash my china.”

“I-” Greta glared at him. “Fine!” He turned Ulla, fuming. “Inge joins you for two hours in the morning. No more. And if you or the girl cause any sort of trouble, you’re OUT, and I never want to see your face on this premises again. Do you hear me?!” Ulla gulped, nodding.

“Now CLEAN THAT UP!” He stormed out of the room leaving Ulla to pick up the pieces of smashed plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come get excited and/or yell about sotd with me on tumblr @[apollosukulele](https://apollosukulele.tumblr.com)
> 
> And thank you to all the wonderful people who let me bounce ideas off them ages ago :D


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